Feeling Nothing When All My Bones Skirl

I was raised in the emotional dark ages under the mantra, "Big boys don't cry!" It is a phrase designed to enforce a narrow idea of masculinity based on the misguided belief that boys should be tough and unemotional, particularly in times of distress when less manly men are prone to emotional outbursts. The phrase was a form of shaming to stop crying or showing vulnerability rather than providing the comfort necessary to help process the roiling emotions. This stoic ideal of masculinity has roots in ancient Greece, with Homer's portrayal of "emotional manliness" in the Iliad. At that time, being stoic meant being emotionally balanced. It has come to mean being unemotional, especially in a public setting. It is a case of emotional suppression when it was meant as a way to examine and manage emotions.